Malda, March 22: Five traders fell unconscious and at least one of them was robbed after they took potato chips offered by some strangers on Brahmaputra Mail last night.

Police brought out the five from the train when it arrived at Malda station around 6.30am today. All the five had boarded the train in Delhi on Saturday. While four of them are from Malda, the other is from Assam.

Ziaul Haque, the only person who regained senses after being admitted to the district hospital here with the four others, said four or five persons had boarded their compartment in Patna last night and offered them chips. He said they had fallen asleep soon after eating them. Haque said Rs 16,000 and some documents that he had been carrying were missing.

Jaigaon: Members of the Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha confined Bhaskar Jha, the teacher-in-charge of Nani Bhattacharya Memorial Mahavidyalaya, to his chamber from 11am to 5pm on Monday demanding declaration of the date of students’ union elections. Jha was released after he assured the protesters that the date would be announced at the earliest.

Siliguri: Two persons were arrested with stolen motorcycles at Nehaljote on Monday. Police said Rajesh Dahal and Chetan Giri, residents of Kakarvitta in Nepal, were caught by the local people when the duo tried to flee with two bikes. There was another person with the duo, but he managed to escape.

Islampur: A purchasing centre of the Jute Corporation of India was inaugurated at Tinpul on Monday. Shantanu Dehuria, special secretary of JCI, inaugurated the unit where farmers will sell their produce and be trained in jute cultivation.